Grilled Spring Veggie Panzanella

This delicious spring and summer salad is too good for words – the perfect side dish for any meal!

Author:Annie Chesson

Prep Time:30 mins

Cook Time:15 mins

Total Time:45 minutes

Yield:12 servings 1x

Scale

Ingredients

For the dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, grated

2 tablespoons capers (fluid drained, just the capers)

For the rest of the salad:

1 hot house cucumber, halved, seeded, and diced

10 oz cherry tomatoes, halved

1 bell pepper, sides sliced off so you have 4 planks (red, orange, or yellow peppers all work)

1 pound asparagus, fibrous ends snapped/cut off

12 oz jar artichoke hearts, the kind packed in water (you can also use frozen that have been thawed)

1 zucchini, sliced into planks for easy grilling

16 oz french bread or Italian loaf, sliced into cubes

Instructions

Preheat your grill over medium high heat. While it’s preheating, make your dressing. In the bottom of the bowl where your salad will go, add the olive oil, balsamic, garlic, dijon, capers + salt and pepper. Whisk to combine and season to taste

Dice your tomatoes and cucumber and add that to your dressing, season with more salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Set this mixture aside

Prep your veggies to grill: slice the onion, zucchini, and bell pepper and remove the fibrous ends of the asparagus. Drain your artichokes and lay them out over several layers of paper towels. Dry well with more paper towels. Lay all your grilling veggies out across a baking sheet or 2, and drizzle with olive oil + season with salt and pepper. Rub the oil and seasonings into the veggies. I used a veggie grilling tray for the asparagus and artichokes so they wouldn’t fall through the grates of the grill

Grill the veggies until they are tender but still have a bite. When cooled slightly, dice the veggies and add to the salad bowl with the tomato, cucumber, and dressing. Toss to combine

For the croutons, heat the largest skillet you have over medium – medium high heat with plenty of olive oil. When hot, add your bread, season with salt and pepper, and toss occasionally until the bread is golden brown and crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Add more oil to the pan as needed. Season the toasted bread to taste

When you’re ready to serve, toss the toasted bread with the rest of the salad, and you’re ready!